Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Why Ethiopia is making a historic ‘master plan’ U-turn

(Jan 19, 2016, (BBC))--A controversial plan by the Ethiopian government to expand the capital, Addis Ababa, is set to be scrapped after a key member of the ruling coalition withdrew its support. The expansion plan sparked deadly violence in the central-southern state of Oromia, which surrounds Addis Ababa.

Rights groups say that at least 150 protesters have died and another 5,000 have been arrested by security forces. Similar protests in May 2014 left dozens of protesters dead.

Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn had vowed on 16 December that his government would be "merciless" towards the protesters, who he described as "anti-peace forces".

However in a surprising move, the Oromo People's Democratic Organisation (OPDO) said on 12 January that it had resolved to "fully terminate" the plan after a three-day meeting. Read more from BBC »

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